What are Briar's Diagnosis'?
Briar has complex medical and special need. She has a range of conditions, some that barely effect her everyday life. These include Elhers Danlos, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, POTS, Auditory Processing Disorder, Speech and Language Delay/Childhood Apraxia, Sensory Processing Disorder, Social Anxiety and Generalised Epilepsy. Elhers-Danlos is a disorder in connective tissues. This causes Briar to be extremely flexible and dislocate her joints frequently (often her ankles). This has also caused her some stomach issues. There is a diagnosis for this stomach disorder (gastroparesis) but her case is not yet severe enough to begin treatment. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome caused Briar to constantly be tired/fatigued even after a full nights sleep. This is something I grew up with and still have, so it was likely inherited. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, often known as POTS or dysautonomia is a condition that causes the body to have trouble communicating to adjust heart rate and blood pressure when becoming elevated or standing from a laying ot sitting position. Auditory Processing Disorder is a condition that is also linked to Briar's speech and language delay and sensory processing disorder, and it causes her to have trouble understanding spoken language and get overwhelmed by noise stimulation. This brings me to elaborate on her SLD and SPD. Speech and language delay (Childhood Apraxia) is pretty self explanatory, and affects the way a child communicates and understands speech. Sensory Processing Disorder is characterised by not being able to filter out unwanted noises and being overwhelmed easily. Briar also has social anxiety. This caused her selective mutism, and has trouble being in social outings and talking to people. Im pushing for an Autism diagnosis because all these diagnosis's fit the criteria, and are often conditions that are misdiagnosed for people with Autism. Generalised Epilepsy for Briar means that she has full blown seizures (tonic-clonic/grand mal) where her body stiffens and jerks.
